401 A Systematic Review on the Return on Investment from Immersive Virtual Reality for Teaching Technical Surgical Skills
R Patel, G ColucciAbstract
Aim
To systematically review the literature on the return on investment (ROI) immersive virtual reality (IVR) can offer for teaching technical surgical skills.
Method
A systematic review was conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC and Psych info. Relevant systematic reviews found with CENTRAL and Cinahl+ were hand-searched. Studies were included if (I) they utilised iVR, (II) to educate students, (III) on technical surgical skill utilisation and (IV) referred numerically to costs, value or ROI. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and for methodological rigour using the MMERSQI framework.
Results
The search yielded 391 studies, of which 8 met the inclusion criteria. Students taught with iVR worked significantly quicker and more accurately than those taught with written materials and performed similarly to those taught on cadavers. Two studies conducted an economic comparison with others reporting solely the headset and/or software cost. Lohre 2020 reported the highest ROI of 3848% due to the significant cost reduction associated with reduced operative teaching time when replaced with virtual teaching.
Discussion
iVR demonstrated a significant ROI as a replacement for teaching in the operating room. The evidence is limited by the teaching modalities compared, inconsistencies in cost reporting and the disregard of intangible costs and benefits. As hardware costs decrease, the technology will become increasingly viable for educational use.